The Tour is never lacking in spectacular events. Stages 14 - 16 are ones that I have been looking forward to as the riders make their way through the Alps grinding up some amazing steep terrain and descending like mad down the other side. The past couple of stages showed how quickly one can be 'King of the Mountain' to another casualty of the tour. First, Pereiro's crazy crash over the barrier to the pavement 15 feet below that left him with a fractured arm. Then, today, Augustyn (a 21-year old rookie) was the first to reach the peak of the last climb today which is also the highest pass on the tour this year. However, on the other side he was going to fast and couldn't quite make a turn and went over the edge. He managed to stop himself on the steep mountainside, but his bike kept on going, and going, and going, and going....
Those are the images that, unfortunately, stick with me on descents. One of my favorite routes is down in the Bay Area where you climb up the Marin Headlands from the Golden Gate Bridge. After catching your breath at the top only to have it taken away by the amazing scenery (the Golden Gate Bridge, the City in the background, Pacific Ocean, and the coastline south to Pacifica...sigh). Anyway, on the other side, the descent is on a one-lane road and is pretty steep at the top (for me, anyway). But, you have to tear your eyes away from the view and keep your eye on the road on the way down. I found this video and thought I would share one of my favorite rides from a cyclist's perspective....whee!
(Video credit: YouTube, Marin Headlands Loop on a Bike, Bullet Cam/auweia1)
The Marin Headlands is not only the area for many outdoor activities for the urbanites (road & mountain biking, hiking, surfing) but it's also the location of the Marine Mammal Center where I used to volunteer as a docent. Best time to ride....early morning before the tourists plug up the bridge and the winds kick in...spring time and fall are my favorite months. Once you're done with the Marin Headlands, continue down to Sausalito and do Paradise Loop...there's also options to jump on to other routes for climbing up Mount Tamalpais (or Mt. Tam for short). Check out the VeloGirls' website...the cycling club I used to ride with the first year I started road cycling. They have the best route sheets!
I am going to take a few days off of my bike after a rather lackluster weekend of rides....I went on a couple of rides with some good climbs and just wasn't feeling it. Oh well, some days you have it, some days you don't. So, time for me to put the bike away for a little while and enjoy some other activities and then get back on it.
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2 comments:
I can definitely see why this ride is one of your favorites. It'll be really awsome to do it. I'm even looking forward to the risk of falling off my bike because of the distraction of this beautiful scenery. Thank you for sharing this video!
I laugh every time I see the 15 mph painted on the road because after the first 20 feet, you're already exceeding that speed limit.
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